Costa Cruises Celebrate Eurovision’s Diverse Musical Culture in Sponsorship Campaign

This weekend the final of Europe’s favourite sing-fest – The Eurovision Song Contest – returned to our screens in a musical celebration of the diverse range of music across 40 competing countries, hosted by the 2021 winning nation, Italy.

Eurovision’s sponsor, market leading Italian cruise company Costa wanted to create a sponsorship campaign aimed at engaging a younger audience, an audience hungry for travel, and to show that Costa can help them discover the world, cultures, cuisine and of course music! 

For the TV spots running on 10th, 12th and for the final on 14th May, independent creative network DUDE created ‘Eliovision’, a spoof contest with a variety of performances of French Rap, Finish Glam Rock, Brit-Pop, German techno, Irish Folk music and Spanish Latino-Pop – a musical array of European culture. The six different spots mimic the style of a live Eurovision style broadcast directly from the impressive flagship ship, the Costa Toscana.

One of Italy’s most iconic and eclectic music artists, Elio e Le Storie Tese, performed the songs and transformed themselves into six different versions of themselves poking fun of music cliches and repurposing one of their most successful songs, “La terra dei cachi” (The land of the persimmon) originally about Italian cliches.

Francesco Muglia, Vice President Global Marketing: “The Costa-Eurovision activation is a benchmark of “creativity” both in terms of content and in terms of media approach. Standard advertising spaces have been transformed into a brand entertainment series. In a company of pioneers and explorers by definition, like Costa, exploring new routes is a must.”

Livio Basoli, Chief Creative Officer & Partner: “This was such a unique project. Not only did we get to spoof one of the most iconic music events in Europe, but we did it by turning classic 30” TV Ads into a branded entertainment experience. A creative idea tailored on the sponsorship and an innovative media strategy ultimately made possible by a bold client ready to take their brand in new, uncharted, seas.”

Media was handled by Mindshare Italy.

Credits 

DUDE MILANO

Chief Creative Officer & Partner – Livio Basoli, Lorenzo Picchiotti

Group Creative Director – Selmi Bali Barissever, Chiara Monticelli

Creative Director – Luciano Marchetti, Davide Canepa

Art Director – Chiara Marino

Copywriter – Simone Maltagliati

Junior Art Director – Edoardo Serafini

Junior Copywriter – Paola Cecere

Client Director – Elena Panza

Account Director – Silvia Ghiretti

Account Executive – Antonia Martone

Integrated Production Director – Matteo Pecorari

Head of Physical Production – Simone Raddi

Senior Producer – Alice M. C. Garbelli

Junior Producer – Giovanna Distefano

Junior Production Coordinator – Francesca Di Donna

Head of Events&Special Projects – Laura Boy

Producer – Giorgio Zattoni

Special Projects – Martina Augelli

Junior Producer – Beatrice Latini

Post Production Supervisor – Seba Morando

Post Producer – Miriam Ottina

Motion Graphic Designer – Gabriele Frigimelica

Editor – Valentina Renna

Editor – Federica Ruggeri

HELLO

Business Director – Sara De Mattia

Creative Director – Marco Viganò

Creative Supervisor – Dario Lo Nardo

Art Supervisor – Alessia Bonito Oliva

Editor – Silvia Ferrari

Creative – Laura Moschella, Jacopo Trotta

Art Director – Luca Cantavenera

Writer: Clara Macor

Account Director – Nicolò Altizio

Account Executive – Vanessa Freckleton, Jessica Basilico

Producer – Alessandro Nidiaci

Strategy Director – Gabriele Naia

Strategist – Sara Pasquinucci

Research & Insight Supervisor – Aziza Ibrahim Ahmed

Research & Insight Analyst – Riccardo Locati

PRODUCTION

Director – Francesco Coppola

DOP – Fabio Casati

​​1st AD – Matteo Polo

2nd AD – Irene Belluzzi

Set Designer – Marco Monti

Costume Designer – Paolo Marcati

Stylist – Alessia Fornara

MUA & Hair stylist – Murciano Silvia, Fortuna Paola

Color grading – Orash Rahnema, Claudio Beltrami, Giorgia Meacci

Sound Design & Mix – FullCode

Music Production – Music Production

Sound Engineer – Antonello Aguzzi

VA CONSULTING

Production Advisory – VA Consulting

GM & Principal Consultant – Stefano Arbitrio

Production Advisor – Alessandra Pasquini, Simona Secondi

MINDSHARE

Roberto Binaghi, CEO Mindshare Italia

Tea Testa, Client Service Leader Mindshare Italia

Giovanna Loi, Chief Digital Officer GroupM

Source: DUDE

  Costa Cruises, Eurovision, Francesco Muglia, Livio Basoli, Sponsorship